OCHLOCKONEE (ok-LAHK-uh-nee) is a rabbiteye blueberry joint release by The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, The University of Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station, and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. Named after the Ochlockonee River in south Georgia, Ochlockonee’s primary attribute is that it ripens late in the rabbiteye season along with Tifblue, yet yields and berry size have been superior to the standard cultivar in south Georgia. Berries are medium-to-large sized, high quality, and can be mechanically harvested. Other attributes such as berry scar, berry

color, berry firmness and plant vigor for Ochlockonee are comparable to Tifblue. As with most rabbiteye blueberry cultivars, it is recommended that Ochlockonee be planted with another rabbiteye cultivar with a similar bloom time for cross pollination. In south Georgia, the cultivars Brightwell and Powderblue are suitable pollinizers for Ochlockonee. In Alapaha GA productivity of Ochlockonee substantially exceeded that of Tifblue in three out of five years for plants that were established in 1986. In fact, the five year average yield for Tifblue in south Georgia was almost 2/3 less than the Ochlockonee yield.

Ochlockonee was developed by D. Scott NeSmith and is a joint release by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and USDA/ARS. It is a protected blueberry variety that can only be sold by individuals licensed by the Georgia Seed Development Commission (GSDC) under guidelines established in conjunction with the University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF).